▶ DRUMLINE
300-piece band with a distinguished history, having performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the Rose Bowl parade, at the Olympics and more.
One day he got word that superstar producer/songwriter Dallas Austin, who’s collaborated with such big names as TLC, Madonna, Boyz II Men, Gwen Stefani, Pink and many more, wanted to drop by band rehearsal.
“I had no idea why he wants to come to rehearsals, but hey, bring him on,” Roberts recalls thinking. “He showed up, didn’t even introduce himself, just watched. And then at the end of rehearsal, he said, ‘I’m working on this movie. I’ve been watching you. I love your band, and I would love you to work with us on this upcoming movie.’ I was like, ‘Wow.’ ”
With Austin serving as a producer of “Drumline,” Roberts was recruited to bring a measure of authenticity to the film. He became so involved in the production that Roberts inspired a character in the film: band director Dr. Lee, portrayed by actor/comedian Orlando Jones.
“His office was actually designed as my office — that’s how deep it goes,” Roberts says. “They took pictures and everything.”
Released in December 2002, “Drumline,” which stars Nick Cannon as a New York City drummer who attends a fictional HBCU college and immerses himself in the rigors of the school’s marching band, grossed over $55 million.
Just as big as the film’s box-office impact was its influence on spreading HBCU culture.
Curtis Oluwani, a trumpeter, drum major and recent graduate from HBCU school Tennessee State University, says that he watched the film over 100 times as a kid.
“Being introduced to that at such an early age, it showed me, ‘Oh, wow, this is finally accepted,’ ” says Oluwani, a three-time Grammy winner who’s also a “Drumline Live” cast member. “The marching band, the HBCU culture is finally getting that recognition. We were being so overlooked.
“If you know anybody that went to an HBCU, we all go see the marching band,” he continues. “It’s just a cultural thing. And when that movie came out, it created that culture for us, and gave us that kind of leeway to be expressive and creative. That movie definitely played a big part in a lot of people’s lives, a lot of musicians’ lives.”
The same can be said for “Drumline Live.” And to think, it was almost over as soon as it began.
The show that almost wasn’t
The first iteration of “Drumline Live” lasted all of three shows.
“We did three cities and we shut it down right there,” Roberts says. “We just didn’t know how to market the show, because when you say, ‘Drumline Live,’ people didn’t know what it was.”
Enter the Columbia Artists Management talent agency, which subsequently reached out to
Roberts and his team about getting “Drumline Live” back on track.
“They said, ‘Leave the marketing to us,’ ” Roberts recalls, “‘You guys work on the show. We’ll get it out to the world.’ ”
That they did — and it’s been a hit ever since.
The production has evolved over the years, now encompassing an average of 30 cast members in a twohour
show that demands much of its performers.
“We train our bodies, we train our minds, we train our spirits, of course we train musically — it’s a lot of training that goes into putting this together,” Oluwani says.
“We have to think on the same level, and we all have to think at the same pace at the same time,” he continues. “You have to be so strongminded when it comes to performing the music, how to articulate the music, how to execute the dance moves properly, how to put on the show.”
The production covers decades of music, from ’30s swing to presentday R&B and hip-hop, with classic soul acts such as James Brown, the Temptations and Aretha Franklin sampled along the way.
“It’s something for everybody,” Roberts contends. “We got something for Granddad, we got something for Great-granddad, something for Mom, something for Dad, something for the kids. From 5 to 95, we’ve got something for you.”
And they want a little something from audiences in return: participation.
“You’re not just gonna sit there and watch us like we’re in the movie theater or something,” Oluwani says. “You’re going to dance. You might come on stage. Anything can happen.”